On Jan. 28, 2025, the Trump administration, acting through its Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), revoked the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans residing in the United States. This decision reverses the 18-month extension granted Jan. 17, 2025, under the Biden administration. The revocation of TPS for Venezuelans means that…

On Jan. 12, 2023, USCIS announced its plan to expand premium processing service availability for certain immigrant and non-immigrant benefits in 2023. Beginning Jan. 30, 2023, USCIS will be implementing the final phase of the premium processing expansion for Form I-140 EB-1C multinational executive classification and EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) classification. This new expansion…

With the Implementation of the 2022 EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act (RIA) the practice of EB-5 law in terms of requirements for projects, regional centers, broker dealers, overseas migration agents and fund managers has markedly changed. The RIA introduced new requirements for recordkeeping, reporting and overall compliance.  Likewise, EB-5 investor applications under the new law…

On Oct. 6, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the Interim Final Rule (IFR), “Strengthening the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program.” This rule will be effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, with stakeholders given a 60-day comment period on the substance, then another 30-day comment period on new…

On Sept. 30, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed and the president signed H.R. 8337 to keep the U.S. government operational through Dec. 11, 2020. This action will maintain vital immigration programs such as the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Regional Center Program, E-Verify, Conrad 30 Waiver Program for J-1 medical doctors and non-minister religious workers programs.

The…

Many applicants approaching the end of the lengthy process for naturalization have experienced further delay on the path to U.S. citizenship due to the pandemic’s effect on the requirements for naturalization mandated by law. Kristen T. Burke and Sarah E. Amendola co-authored a Texas Lawyer article explaining the potential effects of these delays.

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With the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the U.S., employers have had to face unprecedented issues impacting continued business operations. As time passes, some employers in those states have returned to the office, while others have continued remote work. COVID-19 has also posed challenges to the profitability and continued operations of many…

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced that there will be an adjustment to the filing fees for certain applications and petitions requesting an immigration benefit. The new fees will be effective on Oct. 2, 2020.  These fees have been adjusted to cover the full cost of providing adjudication and operating costs. Moreover, USCIS…

On July 16, 2020, the Department of State provided updated information on the availability of exceptions to the June 22 Presidential Proclamation 10052, which extends Proclamation 10014 through Dec. 31, 2020,.

Some travelers and visa applicants who are affected by the Proclamation may qualify for an exception if the purpose of their travel to the United States is for humanitarian reasons, public health response, or national security. Other exceptions include: (1) applicants who are subject to aging out of their current immigrant visa classification; (2) certain H and J visa applicants who are traveling to the United Sates to work in support of a critical U.S. foreign policy; and (3) dependents of applicants who are excepted from, or not subject to, the Proclamations.
Continue Reading Exceptions to Presidential Proclamations – Department of State Guidance